Danish Nationals Travelling to Canada

eTA - ELECTRONIC TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION - FLIGHTS TO CANADA

The Government of Canada has recently introduced a new entry requirement, known as an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), that applies to visa-exempt foreign nationals travelling to or transiting via Canada by air. An eTA is not needed for arriving in Canada by land or sea.

Effective September 29, 2016, Danish citizens must obtain an eTA before they can board a flight to Canada. To complete your application for an eTA, you will need your passport, a credit card, and an email address. An eTA costs $7 CAD and is valid for up to 5 years. The duration of the eTA may be shortened if your passport expires sooner, if the eTA is annulled by the Canadian immigration authorities or if a new eTA is issued.

Your eTA is linked to the passport you used to fill in your eTA application. For this reason you do not need to print the authorization, but you will need to present your passport to airline staff each time you board a flight to Canada. If you lose your passport and, for example, are travelling on an emergency passport, you need to apply for a new eTA.

The online form Application for an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) should be filled out by eligible travellers prior to the trip to Canada, as an approved eTA will be required to board the flight. Travellers without an approved eTA will not be allowed to board their flight.

Most applicants can expect to get an approval within minutes of applying. However, some requests may need more time to process. If this is the case for your application, you can expect an email from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) within 72 hours that tells you what your next steps are. If you do not hear back from the Canadian authorities within 72 hours, you can contact CIC via an online web form found here. The authorities will then respond to your request within 1-3 business days.

Please note that an eTA is a preliminary authorization and not a guarantee that you will be allowed to enter Canada when you arrive at the border. Only an immigration officer can make that decision based on the purpose of your trip. Your eTA authorizes you to visit Canada for up to six months or until the date prescribed by a border services officer on your arrival to Canada. If you need to stay in Canada longer, you must apply to extend your stay.

Canadian permanent and temporary residents will not need an eTA to fly to Canada, but as is currently required, they will need to travel with their Canadian permanent resident card or valid work or student visa. Otherwise, they may not be able to board their flight to Canada.

If you are a dual Danish/Canadian citizen you cannot apply for an eTA. Instead, the Canadian authorities require you to enter Canada using your Canadian passport.